Children of Vengeance
by ForeverFalling86
Summary: Naruto knew marriage wasn't supposed to be easy, but he never thought that it'd be this damn violent.  Mr. & Mrs. Smith, NaruSasu style
1. Oil Check

**A/N: I've had this idea in mind for about three years now and I finally put it to paper. I don't own Mr. & Mrs. Smith, and I don't own Naruto. **

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><p><strong>Yamada, the Japanese equivalent of Smith<strong>

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><p>The clock ticked loudly, telling the three occupants that their hour and a half long session was underway. The sound of a pen scratching quietly against paper accompanied the clock and occasionally the shuffle of a few files. Light spilled in from the windows, the mid-day sun warm against their skin as they sat silently. The man behind the desk continued to write, what exactly, the other two were unsure of. Two of the occupants were in their late twenties, one looking tense, and the other aggravatingly relaxed- or so his partner thought.<p>

One of them was blond, his hair shining in the light as he tapped his fingers against the arm of his chair impatiently. Blue eyes scanned the room, looking for something to capture his attention, but failing. In the end he settled to stare at his partner whose gaze locked with his, a disapproving frown marring the face that he loved. He gave a breezy sort of smile, the kind he only donned when he was anxious. A dark eyebrow quirked in his direction before the frown and furrowed brow disappeared, leaving the pale face as blank as freshly fallen snow. The blond reached out to grasp the slender hand that was dangling off the side of the chair, carefully taking the cold hand into his own warm one. A barely noticeable smile played across his partner's face as the man behind the desk finally set down his pen and cleared his throat.

"Alright," Dr. Umino said. "Naruto...," he paused at the odd name for a moment before continuing, "And Sasuke Yamada, married for—

"Five years," Naruto smiled, relaxing in his seat now that the tension was broken.

"Six," Sasuke corrected flatly, pulling his hand from his husband's.

"Okay," the doctor nodded, scratching at the scar that spanned most of his face. "Married for six years—

"I'm almost positive it's five," Naruto argued, ignoring the glare that threatened to burn a hole in the side of his head. The blond began ticking off his fingers, counting quietly under his breath.

"There's no way it's been six years," He said firmly.

"It's six dobe."

"Settle you two," Iruka muttered feeling like a parent rather than a doctor as he picked up his pen to scrawl something into his notebook. "So, you've been married about five or six years, and now you're here to...?"

"Oh, we don't really need to be here," the blonde laughed rather nervously, rubbing at one of the odd scars that stretched across his cheeks. "We actually won four sessions with you in a draw at a party. Proceeds went to charity and all that...," he trailed off, bouncing his knee as he did.

"So, you don't actually need to be here," Iruka stated more than asked, glancing between his two newest clients.

Sasuke gave a nod but otherwise remained silent. Iruka frowned, wondering if there was some sort of anti-social personality disorder hiding behind those coal black eyes. He could sense a terrible temper hidden behind the facade of indifference but judging by the constant contact that Naruto forced upon him, the blond acted as a bit of a grounding agent. He was the lion tamer; the man with the key to the cage.

"But we both agreed that it was a good idea to come," Naruto said, apparently having taken up the role as the couple's representative.

"We have a theory," Sasuke began quietly; his eyes empty as he stared.

"We do?"

"Yes," he said shortly. "The oil check."

"Ah, right," the other nodded, recalling their previous conversation a few weeks prior. "The oil check. We've been married for five—

"Six"

– years now. So we thought that it would be a good idea to...have a bit of a tune up if you get my meaning."

Iruka stared for a moment wondering why on earth he was the one who had to deal with the Yamadas. Maybe it was Karma, because speaking of charity; he hadn't given anything to his usual one this past Christmas. Yes, _Karma_. That had to be it.

"Alright, that's a perfectly...reasonable idea," the doctor finally said, smiling awkwardly as he once again began writing in his notebook. "It's good to see a couple willing to work on their marriage without the threat of a prenup hanging over their heads. It shows that you care very deeply for one another."

Naruto smiled as he once again reached over to grab Sasuke's hand, only to have it widen when the brunette returned his grasp.

"So, let's get down to work."

* * *

><p>"On a scale of one to ten, how happy are you together?" Iruka asked, staring out at the couple sitting in front of him.<p>

"Eight," Sasuke responded easily, only taking a moment to consider. Eight was a nice number; not _too_ high, but not too low and Iruka found himself rather surprised that the raven would admit to being so content.

"Wait, let's get this straight," Naruto started, glancing between Sasuke and the doctor. The whole scale thing was beginning to screw with his mind. "Ten being perfectly happy and one being totally miserable?"

Iruka sighed as he got comfortable- the meeting was probably going to take a while if it continued in the same fashion, "Just say whatever first comes to mind. Ready?"

"Eight," the pair said unanimously, their hands still loosely intertwined.

* * *

><p>"On a scale of one to ten, how happy would you say your partner is?"<p>

"Eight," Naruto chirped.

"Are we allowed fractions?" Sasuke muttered, shifting in his seat as he did. He wasn't enjoying this little exercise that they were being put through thus far.

"It's whatever first comes to mind," the doctor reminded him, beginning to grow rather exasperated with the pair. They were a bit of an odd couple, but hell, he wasgetting paid.

"Alright. Are you both ready?"

"Eight," they responded together.

Iruka growled. "You can't keep waiting for the other to answer so that you can agree! It defeats the purpose of the exercise."

"So we can't agree?" Sasuke stared at him blankly as if daring him to say otherwise.

"You can agree, but- just never mind," he huffed.

"Wait, so we've been doing this wrong?" Naruto asked, sounding a little worried at having wasted the past half hour.

Iruka tried to remain calm as he shook his head; dear God, he needed a drink.

* * *

><p>"How often do you have sex?"<p>

The pair froze, a light blush dusting across Sasuke's face as he looked out of the window for a moment.

"Is this on a scale of one to ten again?" Naruto frowned. "So, one being never and ten being what, five times a week?"

"Technically, never should be zero," Sasuke argued, turning back from the window, the blush all but gone from his face. "Zero always equals nothing. One being never doesn't make sense. And if we're not sure what zero is, how can we be sure what ten is? Is it—

"Constant, unending, twenty-four/seven," Naruto picked up. "Without a break, even to eat...Like Jiraiya."

"I told you _not_ to say that name around me," Sasuke growled, once again ripping his hand from Naruto's grasp. "Perverted old man."

"Oh, come on," the blonde whined, grumbling as he reached out to grab Sasuke's hand again only to have his husband slide over in his chair so that he was just out of reach. "He gave you away at the wedding and everything. He's family, and family's important."

"I'm only related through marriage," Sasuke reminded him, grimacing at the memory of Jiraiya pinching him on their way down the aisle. "And even that's too much."

Iruka resisted the urge to pull his hair. "This _isn't _a one to ten question. Now, how often do you have sex?"

They both stared at him for a moment, Sasuke looking annoyed and Naruto scratching the back of his head.

"I refuse to answer," the raven groused, clearly a rather private person. 'I should have seen that coming,' Iruka thought to himself as Naruto seemed to gather his courage.

"Well..."

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><p>Iruka cleared his throat, trying to gather himself, suddenly finding that he couldn't make eye contact with either of his clients, "Alright, um, that was...enlightening."<p>

A rather perverted grin slid onto Naruto's face while Sasuke seemed to be trying to become invisible as he slunk down in his chair and hid his face behind his hands.

"But, to the point here, you're saying that...you haven't done any of..._that_ in quite a while?"

Naruto nodded looking frustrated. "When we first got married we were all over each other! I mean, he'd be loading the dishwasher and I'd just—

"Naruto," Sasuke started warningly, his dark eyes burning in the half light of the late afternoon sun.

"Okay, well, you get the point," the blond continued, leaning forward in his chair, his hands flailing. "But now, he barely let's me hold his hand for more than five minutes, never mind touch his—

"_Naruto!" _

The blond rolled his eyes for a moment before continuing. "I feel like it's one of our biggest issues. After all, sex is the key to any strong relationship."

The room fell silent for a moment, only the chirping of birds filtering in from one of the cracked windows making up for the absence of commentary before:

"Communication," Sasuke sneered, finally coming out from behind his hands. "_Communication_ is the key to a strong relationship you _idiot_."

Iruka clicked his pen as he began jotting down little notes again. He sensed some anger issues, some pent up frustration that would need to be addressed at a later date. At this point, he could see murder by blunt object in the blonde's near future. And hell, he'd probably have to testify at the trial. Better to fix this shit now than have to go to the trouble of buying a new suit. But, then again, the publicity could do his practice some good. After all, all publicity was good publicity.

"Communication is nice, but sex is better," Naruto said, drawing Iruka from his thoughts, dismissing the comment with an idle wave of his hand and Iruka hung his head in sympathy, knowing that the blond would pay for the comment that evening. When Sasuke looked ready to reach over and strangle his partner the doctor felt that it was about time that he intervened.

"Moving on!"

He quickly checked the clock resisting the urge to praise God as he noticed that they only had ten minutes left. With any luck, after this they wouldn't come back. While Naruto seemed to be a nice young man, if a bit of a deviant, and Sasuke was...well, quiet if not a little hostile at times, he didn't think he could get through –_suffer_ through- another session with them. He'd only met with them once and he was contemplating taking up drinking. His liver wouldn't survive the ordeal.

"So, how did you two meet?" A nice easy, simple question. No more sex talk, because apparently Sasuke had a bit of a wild side hiding beneath his indifferent exterior and Iruka was more than a little uncomfortable with the fact that he now knew that.

"In Japan actually," Naruto revealed with a reminiscent smile as Sasuke nodded in agreement.

"You're from there Sasuke?" he asked, having already noticed his accent and the raven nodded in confirmation. "And why were you there Naruto?"

"Business reasons," the raven said simply, answering before the blonde could.

"Care to share?"

"No."

Iruka turned to look at Naruto who simply gave a helpless shrug as he leaned back in his seat.

"Alright," he sighed, closing his folder and setting aside his well used pen. "Well, this was a very...informative session. You can make an appointment with the receptionist on your way out and for next time I want you both to write a list of ten things about your partner that annoy you, and ten things that made you fall in love with him."

The pair gave him a dubious look before nodding and suddenly all of his hopes of never seeing them again died away. Naruto stood first pulling on his jacket before grabbing Sasuke's and helping him into it. Iruka easily noted the eye roll on the raven's part as he slipped into his coat and sent a nod in his direction before opening the door and disappearing out into the hall.

"Well, see ya' I guess," Naruto smiled, giving him a wave before following after his husband.

One session down, three to go.

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><p>One Week Later<p>

"He talks. All the time."

Iruka stared over at Sasuke who was staring blankly back, a small piece of paper clutched in his pale fingers. "And that annoys you?"

"Greatly."

"It's not my fault you're practically a fucking mute when you're not yelling!" Naruto growled, his own list looking crumpled and battered.

"We'll discuss these issues later Naruto, right now we're just reading off the lists okay?"

The blond gave a reluctant nod still looking angry.

"So, you value silence and Naruto...is a very vocal person."

The raven nodded but otherwise remained silent, which he'd come to expect. Truth be told, he thought they made an odd pair, polar opposites that they were. But opposites attract and all that. He looked to Naruto, signalling for him to read off something from his list.

"He's changed."

Iruka looked up from his notepad as he detected a hint of melancholy in Naruto's voice which was rather odd given his normally cheery disposition.

"When we first met, I mean, yeah, he was quiet, but now...he's just cold. He barely speaks to me! We talk but we don't..._talk_." Naruto glanced over at Sasuke who was staring down into his lap. "We don't say the important things. It's like...we just don't hear one another anymore."

Iruka nodded, waiting for the blond to continue. He hadn't thought the list exercise would work so well, but thus far it was proving to uncover some deep seated issues that were plaguing their relationship and ultimately causing it to fall apart. Naruto and Sasuke might have been hilariously juxtaposed, but something had drawn them together, there'd been a spark that had made them fall in love. Now, the spark had dimmed and suddenly their differences were more prominent than ever and propelling them apart. But that was where Iruka came in.

He'd help them get their spark back, and this time, work out their issues. New couples tended to not see their differences because of their love, but once time allowed them to settle in together and the relationship was no longer new, if problems weren't addressed they had a way of festering. And that was the Yamadas' problem. From what he understood they'd been rather...explosive in the beginning, and now that the smoke had cleared, they could see each other clearly and were noticing sides of one another that they hadn't before. Reality had set in. But he'd make them love the reality; because something had made them explode at the start, beneath the heated glares and sarcastic remarks, they still deeply loved one another. They just needed to realize that.

"What do you have next on your list Sasuke?"

The raven looked down for a moment, consulting the neatly scrawled points before looking up and simply saying one word that would set blue eyes ablaze and start an argument the likes of which Iruka had never witnessed in all his years of counselling:

"Ramen."

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><p>Sasuke was quiet as they made their way back to their car, having been kicked out of Iruka's office and told to come back next week once the repairs had been made. Naruto was grumbling under his breath, fishing for the keys in his coat pocket as he did. There was a tension in the air that they'd both become accustomed to over the years; the weight of too many secrets between them. A relationship was supposed to be based on honesty and communication. Theirs had neither.<p>

"I've got to head into the office later," Naruto started as he slipped the key into the ignition, not bothering to look over at his husband.

"Alright. What time will you get in?"

"Ah," the blond chuckled humourlessly. "Probably late. You don't need to wait up."

They both knew he wouldn't have bothered anyway.

The drive home was silent and uneventful, the radio taking the place of any possible conversation that would have occurred. They lived in the classic suburban neighbourhood which was rather odd considering that they were anything but the classic couple. They had the bright red door and the white picket fence. The neighbours waved hello as they got the Sunday paper in their robes with their steaming mugs of coffee clasped in their hands. Women had book clubs and sent over casseroles, children played ball out in the street. The whole shebang. Naruto had called it bright and friendly. Sasuke had said it was creepy. But the house was perfect, so in the end the raven had put aside his reservations.

The first few weeks had been...tense. It took exactly eight days for the first neighbour to knock at their door one warm afternoon. Unfortunately, it'd been Sasuke who answered and upon seeing the horrid floral print dress, the string of pearls and the, what he _guessed_ to be tuna casserole, clutched in the woman's manicured hands...he'd slammed the door. And locked it. Naruto had only been able to salvage their first impression by claiming that Sasuke barely spoke English and tended to be rather shy at times. He was very nervous around people and all that.

~X~

_Mrs. Flaxman nodded in understanding, a smile fixed upon her probably Botoxed face. "Oh, the poor dear. He's new to the country?" _

_Naruto nodded as he casually leaned against the doorframe. "We met while I was on vacation in Japan visiting family. I might not look it, but my mother was Japanese. Knew the moment I saw him that he was the guy for me," he declared proudly, ignoring the holes that were slowly being burned in the back of his head. He glanced back, barely spotting Sasuke standing on the upstairs landing, glaring down at him with a look that promised a painful death. "He's a bit of a sourpuss, but he's a sweetheart deep down." _

_The glare intensified and the blonde sent his husband a bright smile before turning back to face the woman. _

"_Well, I'm just here to welcome you both to the neighbourhood," she said, her eyes wandering the hallway and catching a glimpse of the kitchen. "I must say, I didn't expect you both to be so..._young_," she muttered, the word rolling off her tongue as if it soured her mouth. _

_Naruto nodded indulgingly vaguely wondering when she'd leave so he could track down Sasuke and have some fun before dinner. _

"_How long have you been married?" _

"_About three months now," he answered easily, twisting the gold band that adorned his finger. _

"_Newly weds," Mrs. Flaxman laughed before handing him the casserole. "Well then, I'll ah...leave you to it." _

_Once she was finally gone he set the dish down on a random box before bounding up the stairs, laughing as Sasuke peeked out of their bedroom like a reclusive cat gone into hiding. _

"_She's gone?" _

_Naruto smiled as he grabbed him by the waist and pulled the raven to him. "She's gone," he said, leaning in to capture a pair of pale lips. "And I've got you all to myself. Now, what should I do with you hm?" _

_Sasuke gave a smirk as he leaned in close, resting his head on a broad shoulder. "I think I have an idea." _

_~X~_

Things had been different back then. They'd been happy. Well, Sasuke hadn't been happy with having to pretend to not speak English, but he had the heavy Japanese accent to back it up, and he'd only had to put up with it for a few months before he could realistically understand English. Until then he'd made due with throwing scathing insults at the neighbours which they fortunately couldn't understand.

~X~

"_He's welcoming you int__o the house," Naruto smiled as he shut the door behind Mister and Mrs Ford. _

_Sasuke rolled his eyes from his place in the window seat, a book resting in his lap, because he was being _anything_ but welcoming. _

_~X~_

The neighbours turned out to be nice enough people. A little odd at times— some acted like something out of Stepford Wives, but they were good, wholesome people.

When they pulled up into the driveway Sasuke was out of the car in a blur of white and black, barely letting the vehicle come to a stop before throwing open his door. Naruto watched as the raven slowed to admire the flowers that the gardener had planted the other day watching a hand reach out to stroke a delicate purple petal. It was moments like these that drove him; just something small and simple that reminded him of why he'd fallen in love with the man. Some things had changed between them, but a lot of things never would.

A beep from his phone reminded him of the time as he climbed out of the car and made his way over to the garage. With the turn of a key he was in and began puttering about, hanging his coat on a hook as he did. The lawnmower that still needed fixing was shoved into the far corner, and the chair that Sasuke had broken last month when he'd tossed it across the room was still in various pieces, scattered across the workbench. Frail though he might look, Sasuke was _damn _strong and not afraid to throw his weight (or blunt objects) around if he felt that the situation called for it.

Naruto pulled back the old beaten rug that was cast across the floor to reveal a rather large door built into the cement. The screech of the hinges protesting made him wince as he opened it, realizing that he should oil it before Sasuke heard it from inside the house. A motion light flickered on as he thumped down the metal stairs followed by several others, easily illuminating the small space and its contents. The walls were lined with various guns and weapons, all well organized considering his habit of never putting anything back where it belonged. The blond grabbed a black gym bag and began loading in the ammunition he'd need along with several guns of various calibers. With a zip, he shouldered the bag and climbed back out, covering his tracks as he went.

He'd be back before Sasuke suspected a thing.

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><p>Sasuke huffed as he fingered the rim of his mug, watching through the window as Naruto trudged out to his car with his gym bag in hand. Work. Yeah right. The moron was probably going for a workout before hitting the bar with Kiba or something. With a flick of his wrist he emptied his tea into the sink, and set the mug on the counter with a harsh clank. Well, at least with him gone he could finally get ready.<p>

Sasuke strode into the living room, ignoring the blinking answering machine as he made his way over to the painting situated over an old oak desk. With the toss of the hidden switch embedded into the frame the oil on canvas slid to the side revealing a large vault embedded into the plaster wall. After punching in the code and pulling open the door a deep compartment lined with draws appeared set into the frame. Sasuke idly went through them pulling out a few guns, some piano wire and a few knives before closing everything up again. With Naruto gone he didn't hesitate in setting everything on the coffee table while he padded up the stairs to grab the rest of his things. Once he was dressed and had everything loaded into his leather briefcase Sasuke was out the door, making sure to lock it behind him before making his way down the stone tiled path.

He'd be back before Naruto suspected a thing.

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><p><strong>TBC...eventually. <strong>

**Don't forget to review please.**

**ForeverFalling.**


	2. Crime and Punishment

**Five and a Half- or maybe six and a half- Years Ago**

Naruto ran a hand through his damp hair as he waited for the concierge behind the desk to find his reservation in the computer. The sky had opened up as he'd left the train station leaving him soaked and chilled in the cool air conditioned lobby of the five star hotel. With his target rotting at the bottom of the Tama River his mission was officially complete and if the kid behind the counter could actually manage to find his goddamned name he could get upstairs and catch some sleep before dinner.

The piano wire he'd used to strangle the old drug dealer was still wrapped around his wrist, barely hidden beneath the cuff of his leather jacket. His jeans were stiff and cold against the skin of his legs and he could feel his socks squelching between his toes inside of his boots. All together, he was extremely uncomfortable and if he could only get up to his room where his bags were waiting he could change into something dry. The blond looked up to glare at the kid who was still clacking along on the keyboard of the computer. His code name was about as simple as it could get: Yamada. What kind of _idiot _could fuck that up?

"Are you having issues?" He finally asked gruffly, ignoring the nervous smile the boy flashed him. The clacking picked up speed and soon the quick clicking of a mouse joined the din. The impatient sighs of the people behind him in line seemed to agitate the boy even further.

"Um...yes sir. I'm new you see, and the computers are rather temper—

The front doors banged open and for a moment Naruto thought it was only a gust of the almost gale force wind, but one glance told him otherwise. He swore under his breath as an entire brigade of officers came pouring into the lobby, tracking mud and water across the already dirty travertine. It just wasn't his day.

"We're looking for a suspect," the one in charge called as he strode towards the counter, looking stiff and self important in the way that only ranking officers could. "We've got a basic description of a male, early to mid-twenties, small stature with black hair."

Naruto snorted, because if that didn't describe about eighty percent of the male Japanese population he didn't know what did. The officer gave him a dirty look but the effect was lost when he had to crane his neck to look up at him. _Height_. It was moments like these that made hitting his head all the time worth it. Naruto casually shoved his hands into his jean pockets, giving the other man a little shrug before turning back to the newbie working the desk.

"You found my reservation yet?"

"Oh, uh, ye- yes, sir. I've got it right here. Yamada Naruto, you'll be staying for two nights in room—

"Lieutenant!" one of the other officers called. "There, by the elevators!"

Half the lobby who'd been listening to the ruckus turned to find a rather petite young man in a fitted trench coat with a small black bag in hand pressing the elevator call button. Noticing the sudden silence the man turned around.

And Naruto was stunned. Never before had he seen such deep, dark eyes. A pale hand reached up to brush aside midnight blue bangs as those onyx orbs scanned the room, a frown playing across the man's face.

"Can I help you all with something?"

The deep voice seemed to break whatever spell had been cast over everyone and the officers sprung into action, some of them actually running across the slippery tile to corner the poor guy against the wall.

"Stop right there!"

"I haven't even moved," the man pointed out, a slender eyebrow quirking as he shifted his weight.

One of the officers latched on to his arms and began trying to cuff him. Naruto stepped towards them, noticing how the raven haired man winced in pain as another hand clamped onto his upper arm. Reason would dictate that he stand back and shut up considering that he had a knife in his boot, a gun in his belt, piano wire on his wrist and a forged passport in his room. But Naruto had never been one to listen to reason, so why start now?

"Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing?" He yelled, storming over. "He hasn't done anything!"

The lieutenant growled as he watched the tall blonde race over. "We're arresting a suspect, now stand back."

"He's just trying to get up to his room!" Naruto protested, noticing how those dark eyes were now solely focused on him. His heart fluttered in his chest as he stared back into eyes that seemed to be darker than the night sky itself.

"He fits the description," the lieutenant barked as the officers began dragging their 'suspect' away.

"So do half the guys in this place!" he said, gesturing widely. "If you arrest him, you need to arrest the guy behind the desk!"

The kid let out a strangled yelp as he grabbed the marble top of the desk for support, looking like he was about to faint. "I...I just work here. My mother made me apply, I swear! She says the responsibility with help—

"Do we need to drag you down to headquarters as well," the officer threatened, red faced as he advanced on Naruto, his hand going for a pair of cuffs that were hanging on his belt.

The eyes of everyone in the room were on him, watching the little drama play out, but he only cared about one pair in particular.

"No, but you do need to calm down and think this through," Naruto said calmly, trying to keep his voice steady. "He didn't enter through the main doors, he's not tracking in water, and his hair isn't damp. He either hasn't been outside, or he's been here long enough to dry off. He's not your guy."

The officer's eyes narrowed, but Naruto could see the realization in those grey orbs and knew he'd won.

A smile broke out across his face as he clapped the man on the shoulder. "Don't worry Lieutenant; I'm sure you'll catch your guy!"

The other officers looked lost for a moment before the lieutenant sighed and called them off with a bark of a command.

"Let's get going," the officer growled. "We've wasted enough of our time, and these people's."

The dark eyed man was released and the police began clearing out, looking unapologetic as they did. Naruto waited until they were gone until he looked back, only to find his little damsel in distress disappearing into the elevator.

"Hey you bastard!"

He saw a smirk break out across petal pink lips as the doors slid shut.

* * *

><p><strong>Five and a Half- or maybe six and a half- Years Later<strong>

Sasuke grumbled to himself the entire way to the downtown core where his target was staying in one of the city's many luxury hotels. His Mercedes tore through the Friday evening traffic leaving honking in his wake. The fishnet shirt he was wearing was beginning to itch his sensitive skin and not for the first time he cursed leather and its inability to breath. The only reason he even owned the damned pants was because Naruto had gone through a bit of a leather kink in the earlier years of their marriage and Sasuke- although he'd never admit it to anyone even upon pain of death- had been eager to please.

According to the information he'd found on his desk yesterday morning his target was a middle aged man who was heavily involved in the mob. And, it just so happened had a bit of a BDSM fetish. The riding crop he'd grabbed from his father's stables was hidden under the backseat in case Naruto had decided to borrow his car for whatever reason and a pair handcuffs were stuffed away in his favourite black bag alongside a knife and a silencer to match his gun. Seeing as leather left little to the imagination and mesh wasn't exactly meant to hidethings, he'd need to bring his bag along with him.

While Naruto was under the impression that his entire family had died in a fire while he was sleeping over at a friend's when he was six, they were actually alive, and doing quite well in fact. The Uchiha compound was hidden away far out in the country and acted as the Main House for the half of the clan that had moved to America. Fugaku had made the move to the States when Sasuke had immigrated, while Itachi had stayed behind in Japan to preside over things there. While his father might not have approved of his life choices, he respected them- or well, he didn't nag at least. Respect might have been going a little too far.

He'd also thought that following his youngest son across the world to 'keep an eye on him' presented a great business venture. America was basically the centre for all Western civilization and home to some of the greatest crooks in the world. Needless to say, once word had gotten around that the famous Uchiha were setting up shop, business had boomed. Fugaku had taken with him about twenty of his actual operatives and left the rest to Itachi. Their numbers had since swelled with American members and a few Japanese-Americans who had old family ties to the Uchiha. All other agencies were forced out of business as the Uchiha came onto the scene and blew them all away- figuratively, and literally. Fugaku had thought that they needed to make a statement so he'd sent out Sasuke and a few others to eliminate the competition.

Six years later, all that was left were the Uchiha…and _Leaf_. Sasuke's mouth turned sour at the mere thought of those pretentious, unprofessional morons.

He pulled into the underground parking lot and slid into the first available spot. According to his notes he was to go to the penthouse for seven o'clock sharp. It was six-fifty, meaning he was a little short on time, but he doubted prostitutes were known for their punctuality.

He flipped down the visor and checked his reflection before he grabbed his trusty fitted trench from the backseat along with the riding crop and his little black bag. He got out, shoving the keys into the glove compartment before he did, and slammed the door shut, the noise echoing throughout the silent complex. His boots clacked against the concrete as he made his way over to the elevator and pressed the call button, pleased when the doors immediately opened to admit him.

He knew distantly, as he pounded down the button, that it was sort of sad how his entire marriage was based upon lies. What kind of husband lied about his entire family _burning alive_ in a fire? When they'd first started seeing each other Naruto had said that he liked how Sasuke could understand the pain of losing his family. It was one of the first things they'd had in common- and it was all a fucking lie. He couldn't exactly tell his husband that his father (who was really alive, along with his mother and elder brother) was the leader of a major cooperation that was really all a cover for an underground organization that specialized in assassination. Lying had been the only choice available to him, but that didn't make him feel any less like trash.

He idly slapped the riding crop against his thigh as the elevator pinged and he was let out into a waiting area. He walked down a short hallway to find himself greeted by the bodyguard he'd been informed of. He was a large man, standing on the other side of the room with his back to an armoured door. According to his information his name was Zabuza and had garnered himself quite the reputation for taking out anyone who dared to even look at him the wrong way.

"Are you Ryuu?" the man asked gruffly, his hand going to the gun at his side.

Sasuke resisted the urge to grimace at the name and instead pouted as he sauntered over.

"Of course, who else would I be? Or are you expecting any _other..._entertainment tonight?" He asked with a slightly cross look on his face. "I'm up for anything, but threesomes are extra. Unless of course," he hesitated, reaching out to delicately run his fingertip over the man's pec. "_You _would be the one joining us?"

He glanced up at Zabuza through his bangs, letting his finger trail down to his abdomen. It was no secret that Zabuza had a thing for younger men, but it just so happened that he'd married his long time boyfriend a few months back.

"J-Just get in there!" The man growled as he turned to unlock the door. He practically tossed Sasuke through it once it was open and slammed it shut behind the raven.

"The offer still stands," he called, chuckling quietly as the man slammed something- probably his fist- into the door.

The hallway he was in was painted a deep red and lit by candles that'd been set on a single side table.

"I'm in here darling," a voice called from the other room.

Sasuke rolled his eyes at the pet name but made his way down the hall and into the main sitting room. Gato was sitting astride the white couch waiting for him, his suit jacket tossed on the floor and his tie loosened.

"Oh, baby," the man growled. "You're beautiful."

Well, you sure as hell aren't, Sasuke thought. The picture in his file had been bad, but compared to what he was looking at, apparently it'd actually been flattering.

"Champagne?" the old man asked, gesturing to the bottle and two flutes set on the coffee table.

Sasuke put on his most coy smile. "I'd love some."

Gato smiled back as he went about pouring their glasses before he patted the space on the couch beside him. "Come sit darling. I won't bite. Well, not yet at least."

The raven sat down and slid close to the man, ignoring the strong smell of cologne as he cuddled up to him.

"Oh," he giggled, taking the glass that was passed to him. "I think _I'll _be doing most of the biting tonight."

The weapons dealer smiled lewdly and quickly downed his glass before slamming it back down on the table. Gato practically dove at him and Sasuke was forced to set down his glass before he dropped it as Gato attached himself to his neck, sucking on his pulse point like some kind of leech.

"Not yet," the raven teased as he pushed the larger body away and stood from the couch. "We've barely even gotten started," he sulked as he undid the belt of his trench to reveal the fishnet and leather covered body beneath it.

The coat dropped to the floor as it slipped from his shoulders and he leaned over to grab the riding crop that he'd set down, giving Gato a nice view of his ass as he did. Before he could even straighten up two hands had grabbed his butt and Gato was grinding up against him. Sasuke resisted the urge to gag and instead let out a moan as the hands continue to grope him.

He didn't get paid enough for this shit.

He felt a bit of pleasure as he took the crop and slapped it across Gato's leg, enjoying the sound as he yelped in pain.

"Not yet," the raven said as he turned to face the man, a sly pout upon his face. He shoved the man back until he collapsed onto the couch. Gato watched him as he picked up his black bag.

"A little bag of tricks eh?" the man said, his voice rough with arousal.

"You've got no idea," Sasuke chuckled as he struck out at him again. The sound of the crop connecting with flesh echoed through the room and Gato was moaning as Sasuke straddled him.

"You've been a bad boy," Sasuke murmured as he trailed his tongue along Gato's jaw.

He was going to have to wash out his mouth later.

The man moaned again as the raven nipped at his ear. "Yes, I've been _such _a bad boy."

"I know," the younger man said seductively as he trailed the riding crop along Gato's chest before he swung out and it connected with a wrinkled cheek. "And I'm going to have to punish you."

"Yes," man groaned, his arousal grinding into Sasuke's thigh. "_Please. _Punish me."

The raven leaned in again, pulling off Gato's tie and ripping open his shirt, sending buttons flying everywhere. A pale hand reached out to pull off the glasses perched on a stout nose before tossing them aside to land on the carpet. He nuzzled the man's neck as he ground back against him, his free hand now clasped around the handle of his favourite knife.

"Oh, don't worry baby. I'll punish you _so _well."

"Do it," Gato begged, his voice getting steadily louder.

"Mhm," Sasuke nodded, his crop tailing over the once muscled chest that had wasted away with the years. "Such a naughty boy."

"_So naughty,_" Gato agreed, his eyes slipping shut as he was pressed into the back of the couch.

"Yes," Sasuke said, wrapping his arms around the man and leaning in close. "Such a bad boy, trading weapons with the mob in Uchiha territory."

"Ye— what?"

Gato only had time to open his eyes before Sasuke slit his throat dispassionately. With the deed done Sasuke climbed off the gurgling man, wiping his knife on a throw pillow as he began gathering his things. Gato tipped over on the couch, blood still flowing from the clean cut and staining the white material, his eyes rolling in their sockets are he struggled to breathe in vain.

Sasuke glanced over at the patio, noticing the fire escape. It'd be easier than going past Zabuza again. He'd just circle back to the underground parking and get home before Naruto even knew he'd been gone. The raven nodded to himself as he zipped his bag and bent to pick up his coat. As he did, Gato's fading eyes caught his own.

The raven smirked seductively, leaning in close, his lips ghosting along the dying man's own as he whispered: "_So_ naughty_._"

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><p><strong>TBC.<strong>

**Thank you all so much for the reviews! It means so much to me to read them all,**

**ForeverFalling.**


	3. Wall Street

Thank you so much for the reviews. It means a lot to me to know you're all enjoying the story thus far.

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><p><strong>Six- Or Maybe Five- Years Ago<strong>

Sasuke slipped through the back door of the hotel and slunk past the kitchen staff with none of them the wiser. The radio perched on top of the microwave was blasting the Gazette's newest release and the overall clatter of the kitchen masked the sound of his wet shoes on the tile. The raven ducked into the nearest closest and pulled off his galoshes, stuffing them into his small bag along with his knives and gun.

His mission had gone smoothly enough at first. He'd slit the old lady's throat and even had time to grab an apple off of her table when the maid had suddenly arrived. According to his intel she wasn't supposed to arrive for another hour. She sure as hell picked a bad day to come early. Needless to say her screams had attracted the police rather quickly and he'd been forced to run for it.

He growled, frustrated as he pulled off the detachable hood from his waterproof trench and shoved it into the bag as well. He'd be having a talk with a certain Hyuuga when he got back to headquarters. Screw ups like this were intolerable. It also meant that he'd have to go find the maid- at his own convenience of course- and kill her as well. Tie up the loose ends and all that. He couldn't have some lady parading around every television talk show in Tokyo blabbering on about how her precious Kyoko-sama had been brutally murdered before her eyes. Shit like that tended to float around the gossip mill for months. Better to go and strangle her before the media got a hold of her. Nip it in the bud.

He pulled off his coat and reversed it, before pulling it on again, shivering as the wet fabric ran across the warm skin of his arms. He zipped up his bag before he ran a hand through his hair, thankful that his hood had kept it dry, before he carefully exited the closet, the sound of the Gazette still echoing in his ears as he opened the nearest door and walked into the main lobby area. It was crowded and no one noticed that he'd come through the 'employees only' door, too busy going about their own business to notice a single stranger.

He was just making his way over to the elevators when the entrance doors suddenly flung open. Sasuke swore when he saw the brigade of officers that'd been chasing him storm into the lobby.

It just wasn't his day.

He pressed the call button, hoping that he could slip away unnoticed when one son of a bitch suddenly called out, "There, by the elevators!"

He resisted the urge to punch the wall and instead turned around to find the entire lobby watching him. Just great. Just fucking great. He quickly brushed away his bangs to get them out of his eyes so that he could assess the situation.

"Can I help you all with something?"

Suddenly all of the officers were rushing towards him like madmen, slipping on the wet tile as they did.

"Stop right there!" one of them yelled.

Sasuke resisted the urge to roll his eyes. It wasn't like he really had anywhere to go.

"I haven't even moved," he idly pointed out, shifting his weight to his hip. With nowhere to go he played it cool, looking surprised as the first officer to reach him grabbed his arms and began cuffing him. Another hand soon clamped on to his upper arm and he couldn't help but wince as the pressure irritated the bone deep bruise from his last spare with Itachi.

"Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing?" A voice yelled out from amongst the crowd, and when Sasuke looked up he froze.

There was a blond man coming towards him, his hair still damp from the rain, with eyes as blue as the afternoon sky. He stood above the crowd by at least a head; a speck of yellow sunlight in a sea of ink and brown earth. He'd seen a lot of Gaijin in his time, but never one so...exotic.

"He hasn't done anything," the man yelled in accented Japanese.

Sasuke couldn't help but stare, his eyes roaming over the odd tattoos or maybe scars that spanned those tan cheeks.

"We're arresting a suspect, now stand back," the man in charge ordered and Sasuke felt a flash of annoyance as his view of the tall blond was blocked off.

"He's just trying to get up to his room!"

The raven hummed thoughtfully to himself, vaguely wondering why such a man would come to his defence. The pair was still arguing but Sasuke's mind was wandering- although his eyes certainly weren't. Maybe he wanted something- it wouldn't be the first time a man had thought that doing him a favour would earn him a few _favours _of his own. The favourmost of them earned was a bullet between the eyes but quite frankly, this one was different. He'd probably shoot him in the chest rather than risk accidently hitting one of those bright blue eyes that were in such contrast to his own.

"... need to calm down and think this through," The blond was trying to use reason now and judging by the lieutenant's tense shoulders, it was actually working. "He didn't enter through the main doors, he's not tracking in water, and his hair isn't damp. He either hasn't been outside, or he's been here long enough to dry off. He's not your guy."

Oh, how wrong he was, but no one had to know that little fact.

"Don't worry Lieutenant; I'm sure you'll catch your guy!"

Sasuke glanced up just in time to see the smile that the man gave the officer, and for a moment his heart seemed to shudder to a stop in his chest. The cuffs were coming off his wrists but Sasuke was still frozen in place. It was like there was a burst of warmth in his chest- an explosion of feeling that he couldn't explain. He wanted to speak to this man, to know him, to touch him. The desire was so strong that he had to stop himself from reaching out towards the blond. It was as if in that moment the centre of his universe had shifted. And it was also in that moment that the elevator dinged behind him.

His saviour was distracted for the time being so he practically jumped into the small cabin, punching the number three so hard it wouldn't have surprised him if the button broke. The doors were just sliding shut as the guy turned around, a look of shock appearing on his face.

"Hey you bastard!"

A smirk came to his face as he resisted the urge to laugh at the man's tone. When the doors slid shut he fell back against the elevator wall, a true smile coming to his face. Well, maybe this _was _his day after all.

**Five-or maybe six- Years Later.**

The drive to the outskirts of town was a long one given the heavy traffic, but a familiar one. While Sasuke was under the impression that he belonged to an architectural firm, Naruto was in fact one of Leaf's top agents.

The car sped along the main road until the buildings and traffic began to thin and soon enough there was nothing but farmland for miles around. The sun was just beginning to set, washing the fields in gold and red as he sped past them. He could see the mostly glass building off in the distance glinting in the light, the setting sun reflected on its facade.

He could tell the parking lot was almost deserted which wasn't surprising given that many short term missions started on Friday and were wrapped up by Monday. He pressed the pedal to the floor, smiling to himself as the Challenger barrelled down the road. He took the final turn like he always did: fast and wide, before rolling into the lot and pulling into his normal space. Naruto climbed out, grabbing his gym bag before he slammed the door behind him. The main door required a security pass, a seven digit password and finger print recognition. He rolled his shoulders beneath his leather jacket as he waited for the computer to process his print, idly wondering if he'd make it home for a late dinner.

Sasuke had the tendency to be a prickly bastard at times, but he was one hell of a cook and normally demanded that they both sit down together every evening lest Naruto face his wrath. Lately, the daily dinners had dissolved into weekly events that passed quietly without much conversation, but Naruto remembered the days when they'd sit on the couch together, Sasuke curled up against his side as they ate off each other's plates with a movie playing in the background.

The door beeped as it unlocked and he pulled it open and found himself in the brightly lit lobby. The walls were lined with old blueprints and different framed photos of buildings from around the world and varying time periods. Ino was sitting behind her desk, her nails clacking on the keyboard of the computer perched in front of her. His fellow blonde glanced up at his entrance, sending a wave in his general direction before turning back to her work.

"Running a little late aren't you?" she called without looking up.

"Yeah," he admitted as he adjusted his bag and made his way over. "Sasuke and I had an appointment."

"And how's he doing?" she asked, finally looking up. Ino had never really had much interest in his private life until she'd happened to come across a picture of his wedding photo on his desk a few years back.

"Ah, he's fine I guess. He's still being pretty distant."

He had a feeling she was one of those girls who liked seeing guys together. If so, he and Sasuke were apparently her fix.

"You should take him out for dinner. Romance him a little!" She cried, her nails now clacking against the dark wood of the tabletop. "Show him off a bit. A night on the town would be perfect."

Naruto considered the suggestion for a moment. It would be an understatement to say that they hadn't gone out in a while. The last time they'd really gone anywhere just the two of them was for Naruto's birthday three months ago.

"I don't know..." he hesitated, leaning against the desk as he set his bag down on the tile floor. "Right now, it might be a little awkward. He doesn't want to talk to me."

Sasuke had a way of staring blankly when he had nothing to say, and it could be a little unnerving at times. Sasuke's eyes always had a way of making him nervous. In the beginning, it'd been a good nervous- the butterflies in the stomach, I just want to kiss you- nervous. But lately it was more of a holy shit stop staring into my fucking _soul_ kind of nervous. It had become an accusatory stare; as if Sasuke knew that he was being lied to about...well, basically everything.

"I'm telling you, dress him up, take him out, remind him why he married you and he'll be putty in your hands," she assured with a flick of her hair.

Naruto hummed in consideration before nodding. "You know, you're right. Our anniversary is in a few days, I'll take him out then."

Ino sighed in exasperation, her hands coming up to cradle her head. "Naruto," she practically whined. "_Please _don't tell me that you had no intention of taking him out for your anniversary before this."

Said blonde scratched his cheek shyly as he nodded. Ino gave him a look that assured him that he was, in fact, terribly pathetic and somewhat mentally challenged.

"We've both been busy!" He growled defensively. Ino only waved him off, apparently fed up and ready to get back to work.

"Just go," she huffed. "Get out of my sight you unromantic moron."

With that _lovely _dismissal Naruto snatched up his bag and made his way over to the wooden stairs that led up to the second level where the offices were held. When he opened the French door that led to his own the blonde found Sakura waiting for him behind his desk, looking as pretty and peeved as ever.

"Naruto, do you even comprehend the _concept _of arriving on time?" She groused with the armrests of his chair clasped tightly in her iron grip. "You were supposed to be here an _hour _ago. Lord knows actually getting to the damn club on time is out of the question now which puts this entire operation—

"Calm down," he said breezily, dismissing her concerns with the idle wave of his hand. The pink haired woman gave him a dark look, as if daring him to make an excuse.

"Sasuke and I had the appointment with Iruka today."

Her look softened as she finally released her death grip on his chair. "And how did it go? Did you manage to sort anything out?"

It'd been at Sakura's party that they'd won the raffle for the appointments with Iruka. Naruto had a pretty good hunch that she'd rigged the thing so they'd win them and he couldn't say he wasn't grateful. She'd been a steadfast friend of his since their first day of training, and when he'd first begun looking for homes with Sasuke it'd been her who'd showed him the listing for their current house. They'd dated once upon a time, but he'd met Sasuke and she'd met Lee and they saw each other more as friends- siblings even.

Naruto shrugged, sitting down on the desk seeing as his chair was otherwise occupied. "Not really. This was the second appointment..."

"So there's still time," Sakura said with a tight smile. "Just be your normal persistent self and things will work out."

She sounded so sure, but Naruto had his doubts. He'd been _persistent_ for the better part of two years and it'd done jack shit.

"You've got a mission out in the desert on Sunday, so tell Sasuke you'll be gone for a meeting," Sakura said suddenly, tossing him a small USB stick which he caught easily. "Everything's on there. Kiba will back you up if you need, but I think you'll be fine. Wear sun block. Now, grab your shit and get the hell out of here before Tsunade has your ass," she laughed, giving him a shove.

The blonde smiled back and picked up the file and the money case he'd come for before he vacated the room, leaving Sakura to show herself out. The door clicked shut behind the blonde and the smile quickly slipped from Sakura's face as he held her head in her hands.

"Oh God," she whispered raggedly, her nails digging sharply into her cheeks. "What did I just do?"

Naruto was like a brother to her, and she'd just betrayed him in the worst possible way. She swallowed back the bile that rolled like acid up her throat. She was tempted to run after Naruto and tell him the truth, but she remembered what Tsunade had said and stayed where she was. Green eyes peered at the wedding photo perched safely on the desk. Two faces stared back at her, filled with pure joy and love. She reached for it and swore loudly when her fingers knocked it sending it crashing to the floor.

Sakura stood quickly, the chair thumping against the window in her haste. The glass crunched on her shoes as she stared down at the now shattered frame. Tears began slipping from her eyes as she leaned down and started picking up the shards.

"I'm sorry," she cried, heartbroken over what she'd done. "I'm so sorry."

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><p>Sakura was right in the fact that Naruto was late getting to the club. There was already a long line of people, beads of sweat on their bare skin glistening in the neon light of the club's sign. Women fanned themselves with their manicured hands and hiked up provocatively high skirts even higher. Men were rolling up their sleeves and unbuttoning their shirts as they suffered through the warm night in their slacks. Naruto was feeling the heat himself, clothed in a white dress shirt and a grey button up vest left over from a three piece suit he'd ruined a while back. He left the top buttons of his shirt undone to try and ward off the sticky warmth, but he'd be relieved once he was inside.<p>

The blonde strode past all the waiting customers and made his way up to the bouncer at the door. The large man only towered over him by a few inches but outweighed him by about a hundred pounds. Beading eyes looked him over as Naruto adjusted the sleek black glasses perched on his nose.

"I'm here to see Nelly."

Mr. Bouncer looked to the briefcase clasped tightly in the blonde's hand and Naruto let loose one of his winning smiles.

"I'm looking for a little action."

The man stared for a moment longer before giving a halting nod and signalling for him to follow as he disappeared through the door. Men and women alike booed and raged as he followed after the bouncer, sparing one woman a quick wink before shutting the door.

Now, Naruto wasn't entirely sure what this Nelly guy had done wrong. But he'd gotten on the bad side of some very powerful people and in doing that, signed his own death warrant.

The club was packed with gyrating bodies as he navigated through it, shoving people aside when they got in his way. The music was loud and the base was thumping through the floors. It was a high class club, but just a dance club none the less. It was what was in the back that made the place special. Since the club's opening the back rooms had been reserved for the use of private parties that wished to remain unseen.

The bouncer led him through a back door and into a dimly lit hallway. The man gave him one last glance before knocking on the nearest door and entering when a voice called out to him.

"What's up?" someone, presumably Nelly asked.

"Some guy's here to play."

There was a moment of silence before: "What's he look like?"

"Something off Wall Street."

Naruto grumbled at that, glancing down at his clothes. He did _not _look like some uptight accountant. There were several laughs before Nelly continued.

"Fuck it, send him in. We'll wipe the floor with him."

The bouncer peaked out the boor and waved him in. The room was small and filled with the rolling grey smog of cigarettes and cigars. Nelly was apparently a man in his twenties, maybe a little younger than Naruto himself with corn rows and a smirk a mile wide. Three other men were at the table, all of them looking over their hands and glancing to and from the pile of chips and cards in the centre of the table. Naruto smiled as he sat in the only free seat.

"Deal me in."

The other four men shared an amused look, having already written him off.

"How much you got on you?" Nelly asked as he began dealing.

Naruto pulled his brief case onto the table and opened it. The men whistled at the sight of the crisp clean bills inside.

"That's gotta be two g's in there man," one of them commented. "You must be gutsy as fuck walking around_ this_ part of town with that shit."

Naruto shrugged as he sat back in his chair and looked over his hand. "S'not too bad," he mumbled. "I can handle myself."

The others laughed before they fell into silence, once again focused on the game. Naruto dominated the first round, taking some satisfaction in Nelly's astounded face.

"Man, where the hell did you learn to play like this?"

"Ah, it's all math really," the blonde said casually. "It's basic probability really. You see—

"Alright, no math man. That crap hurts my head," Nelly grumbled as he grabbed a clean class from a nearby table and poured a large portion of vodka into it and set it in front of the Leaf agent. More rounds of cards, and shots followed. Naruto knocked back his fourth glass, pretending to be completely out of it.

"Crap. I _had _that one. I had it," he slurred as he through his hand down onto the table.

"Homes," one of the men started. "You've got fourteen different tells. Hell, you're William Tell."

One of the men broke out into the overture as they all laughed. Naruto slammed his hand down on the table, nearly knocking over the fifth glass that Nelly had poured him. "M' not!"

"Maybe sober," one of the muttered to another earning a laugh.

"Okay, okay," Nelly called, smiling when he noticed Naruto swaying slightly in his seat. "Bet's four hundred. You going to fold, call or raise?"

The blonde reached into his brief case and pulled out a wad of bills. "Okay. Two eighty, ninety, three ten...wait," he paused, staring vaguely into the distance, his glances beginning to slide down his nose. "Where was I? Oh, right," he muttered to himself.

The men around the table were laughing again, expecting an easy win like the last seven rounds.

"Seventy, eighty. Four hundred. That's your four hundred, and I raise you..." he reached into his pocket and pulled out a grenade.

The men stopped laughing, the smiles slipping from their faces like the cards through their fingers that were fluttering to the table top.

"Wall Street teaches you some stuff," Naruto said as he pulled the pin and rolled the grenade across the table. "Go big or go home, y'know?"

Nelly quickly stood, knocking his chair to the floor. "What the h—

Naruto pulled his gun from the waistband of his pants and went to work. _God_. He loved his job.

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><p><strong>Thanks for reading, and <strong>_**please**_** don't forget to review : ) **

**ForeverFalling. **


	4. Encounter

Iruka peered over his desk at Sasuke Yamada who sat in the chair he'd always claimed as his own during their normal meetings. But this meeting was decidedly _not _normal given that Naruto wasn't joining them. Apparently he'd left on business that morning to help seal a deal on a foreign project for his firm. The meeting had originally been planned for an hour but it seemed that something had come up for Sasuke as well and he would need to cut things short so that he could catch his flight. While he didn't relish the thought of being left alone in a room with Sasuke for a half hour- he valued his life- Iruka could recognize the opportunity in Naruto not being around to buffer the conversation.

He pulled off his glasses and set them down on his desk, Sasuke looking up from the small tear in the upholstery that had occupied his attention for the past few minutes. The raven had a look of melancholia about him and Iruka wondered, not for the first time, why he simply hadn't cancelled the appointment and rescheduled for when Naruto was available. While Sasuke really seemed to call the shots in their relationship he was content to sit back and let Naruto take charge unless he felt the need to throw in his own two cents. Without the blonde there to liven things up the meeting was getting off to a slow start and the room itself seemed dark despite the sunlight peeking in through the blinds.

"Do you like kids?" Sasuke asked suddenly, his voice shattering the silence that had encompassed them.

Iruka hesitated for a moment, rather taken aback, wondering if it was some sort of trap. "W-well, yes. I haven't any of my own, but...yes. I do."

Sasuke nodded, falling silent as his fingers traced the patterned fabric of his chair. When he didn't move to speak again Iruka gave a small cough to draw back the raven's attention and picked up his pen in preparation, "Is there a reason why—

"Naruto wants kids."

Oh. Iruka cleared his throat and tried to gather his thoughts— because _holy crap_ Sasuke was willingly speaking to him and it wasn't just to insult his intelligence— "And, how do you feel about having children?"

Sasuke shrugged, his loose brown sweater, which Iruka was sure was designer almost slipping off a pale shoulder as he did so.

"Has Naruto mentioned children lately?" he tried, hoping to actually go somewhere useful with this conversation.

"No...But I know he wants them. He's...he's got this envelope filled with clippings," the other started quietly, his voice almost morose. It seemed as if this had been plaguing Sasuke for some time now. And it must have truly grated on him for him to actually speak about it.

"Of things he thinks he'd buy. Cribs that he likes...articles on strollers...He thinks I don't know."

Iruka nodded as he scribbled down some notes. Tension over children could often cause problems within a marriage. He had no trouble imagining Naruto as a father, and had no doubt that he'd make a splendidly loving one given the chance. Sasuke on the other hand didn't particularly strike him as the nurturing type but if he squinted and turned his just so, Iruka could _almost _imagine it.

For Naruto to be collecting things and not telling Sasuke, meant that the blonde must've known his husband's stance on having children. And for Sasuke to have seen the collection but not have said anything meant that he could possibly feel guilty for denying Naruto something he yearned for so badly but wasn't willing to bring it up.

"Do _you_ not want children?" he asked as he delicately put down his pen. It wasn't abnormal for people in this day and age to forgo having children, and from what he understood the couple had gone through a sort of whirlwind six month romance before their wedding. The subject of children might not have come up in that time. Sasuke might not have even considered them, while Naruto thought that it was simply the next step in their lives. So many things made them incompatible and the more Iruka delved into their marriage the more he wondered how they'd made it work all these years.

Sasuke's mouth worked uselessly for a moment. "I- they're a big commitment. They depend on you...for most of their lives. You're supposed to be there for them forever." Sasuke looked down at the chair, his fingers once again picking up their tracing.

"And you don't feel up to that commitment?" He received no answer. "Or...is it that you think you'd be unable to fulfill it?"

The tracing stopped and dark, _dark_ eyes slid up to meet his own. And in that moment, Iruka knew what it was that Naruto had seen in Sasuke six- or maybe five- years ago. He could see the spark that had lit the flame of their love affair and the doubt and pain that was now smothering it. In those few seconds where their eyes were connected Iruka learned more about Sasuke than he had in all of their previous meetings and when his watch beeped signalling the end of their session, for the first time, he was actually disappointed.

* * *

><p>Sasuke gripped the steering wheel of his BMW as he sat in the driveway with the windows rolled down. One of the neighbours was mowing the lawn and the air was heavy with the smell of freshly cut grass. He was resisting the urge to bang his head against the wheel until he beat the memories of his session with Iruka from his mind.<p>

The envelope was still tucked away under Naruto's side of the mattress. After he'd found it while changing the sheets every night as he lay in bed he could feel it there; a slab of cement under his back, until he'd started sleeping as far away from it as he could; away from Naruto.

The raven finally climbed out of his car, slamming the door behind him. He'd printed his plane ticket earlier that morning and it was waiting for him on the kitchen island. The phone in his pocket began ringing and he huffed, pulling it out and holding it to his ear as he unlocked the side door.

"So, I hear we're working together," Neji's voice said from the other end of the line. Damn Hyuuga.

"Apparently," he growled back, kicking the door closed behind him.

"I trust you've got your ticket and are all set to go?"

He gave an affirmative answer as he dropped his keys on the hall table.

He and Neji went way back. Their fathers had been close associates back in Japan and had kept up their relationship despite the Hyuugas' move to America six years before the Uchiha had made the move as well. Sasuke had spent many a party during his younger years sitting in a corner with Neji by his side, both of them bored and miserable as the adults mingled. They'd gone from sort of hating one another as small children to sort of being best friends by the time they were seven. Neither of them were sure when it'd happened but Sasuke had a feeling it'd been when Neji had called Itachi an overachieving prick.

"Hinata was wondering if we'd come over for dinner next Thursday."

Hinata was a kind soul- slightly useless in her youth, but she'd gotten better with age. While Sasuke and Neji had been sitting in their corner, Hinata had spent most of her time being paraded around the room by her father. Still, the three of them had basically grown up together.

"Sure." She was also an _amazing_ cook.

"Did you get the information I sent you?"

"Some convoy in the desert," Sasuke muttered, flipping through the file he'd left on the table. "Set the charges in the field and blow it up when it gets to the specified coordinates. Easy."

"_Very_," Neji agreed tersely. "So why the hell are _we _doing it?"

Sasuke frowned for a moment, suddenly wondering why they were being assigned something like this. "Where's Suigetsu? Isn't this normally his sort of thing?"

"You know how he is with heatstroke," Neji said reluctantly.

Right. "Well, what about Deidara?"

"Last I heard he was on a flight out to Japan back to your brother. He and Danzo didn't exactly...get along."

Danzo didn't _get along _with anyone, old bear that he was. But he'd been Fugaku Uchiha's right hand man for years and would probably continue to be until Sasuke took over the American branch and Neji took up that role.

"Well, see if you can do something about it. I don't want to go out to the Godforsaken desert if I don't have to."

There was silence on the other end of the phone except for the sounds of typing and flipping papers.

"Damn. Danzo specifically requested you to head out there."

Fuck. "Alright," Sasuke sighed, setting down the file he'd been holding. "Just as well. It's not like I can return my plane ticket."

Neji made a noise in the back of his throat and the sound of typing started up again. Sasuke headed upstairs and grabbed a few sets of clothes, tossing them into his suitcase.

"Call me when you land alright?" Neji said, waiting for Sasuke to agree before hanging up.

Sasuke checked the time and grumbled when he realized he'd need to leave soon to be the traffic. It was always hell getting to the airport during rush hour. He gave the house a quick once over before he picked up his suitcase and made his way back to the kitchen, making sure to turn on the dishwasher before leaving.

* * *

><p>Naruto turned the stereo up as his dune buggy made it over the crest of another hill. The sun was beating down on him from the cloudless sky and there was a beer clasped in his right hand. The goggles he was wearing were protecting his eyes from the sand and with the wind whipping through his hair it couldn't have been a more beautiful day. The GPS situated in the dash was telling him he was almost to his target location. He was supposed to blow up some damn convoy that would be passing through the area in about ten minutes. An easy mission sure enough, but he was giddy with excitement over using his newest toy. He and Kiba had been looking for an excuse to use it and this mission was the perfect opportunity. Finally getting to use his dune buggy was a nice plus as well.<p>

Sasuke thought was he off sealing some deal for his firm in England but instead he was in the middle of the desert. He felt a small sting of guilt in the pit of his stomach for not only lying to his husband but missing their appointment with Iruka. Especially considering their anniversary was the next day. He hoped to make up for it because he'd taken Ino's advice and made a reservation for them at a classy restaurant in the downtown core. Sasuke had seemed surprised at the news which only added to the hurt in Naruto's stomach. Once upon a time they'd gone out at least once a week to unwind. At least Sasuke hadn't seemed too put off by his leaving, but then again, the raven had stopped having issues with his 'business trips' years ago.

The GPS beeped as he knocked back the rest of his beer and tossed the bottle to the floor. He hit the brakes, sending a wave of sand flying. Judging by his intel he had a few minutes before the convoy was within range so he clambered out of the buggy, making sure to grab the thermos he'd brought with him. His pulled a fork from his pocket as he unscrewed the top, inhaling the heady smell of the ramen. He moaned quietly around the first forkful as he watched the road, not knowing that not too far off, someone else was watching too.

* * *

><p>Sasuke swore as the sun beat down on his pale skin, realizing that he should've brought some sunscreen with him. He could hear Neji humming to himself through his earpiece as he checked over the consol that controlled the wireless charges he'd set in the field.<p>

His flight had gone well enough- first class accommodations of course- and he hoped to catch the redeye back tonight so that he could beat Naruto home by a few hours. That would give him enough time to get showered and dressed for their anniversary dinner. It'd almost startled him that Naruto had gone ahead and made plans for them like he hadn't done in years. Frankly, Naruto hadn't really acknowledged their anniversary the past two years running except for a kiss and a Hallmark card left on the counter. But then again, it wasn't like Sasuke had gone out of his way to make an occasion of it either so who was he to complain?

The raven pushed his sunglasses up his nose as he stared off down the road. He'd found a nice shack with a roof so broken it didn't do much for the sun, but it was better than nothing. It also gave him a great vantage point. He grabbed his thermal binoculars and nodded to himself when everything was clear.

"I think I'm about ready, the perimeter is armed...and we're up and running," he said into the mic situated around his neck as he finished up.

"You've got about five minutes according to the satellite feed," Neji told him.

Sasuke nodded to himself as he brushed off his shorts but stopped when the sound of music suddenly met his ears. He dove for his binoculars and quickly trained them on the lurid orange dune buggy that was just pulling over the nearest hill.

"Neji, I've got some _idiot_ in the field."

There was the sound of rapid clicking and he knew the brunette was pulling up the satellite imaging. "Just some tourist?"

"Maybe, but I think he's watching the road," Sasuke muttered as he zoomed. A warning from the computer told him that one of the laser detonators had been triggered and the Uchiha swore, knowing that the buggy must have ploughed over one of the units.

"Sasuke, I'm getting a warning here. The convoy isn't even in range yet you've—

"I know, I know," he growled as he unplugged one of the wires. "The guy tripped on of them. I'll just have to set them off manually."

With the distance between them he couldn't quite make out the man who was climbing out of the buggy but he could tell it was a blonde. He frowned, watching as the guy pulled out a thermos and began eating. The consol to his right beeped telling him that the convoy was coming down the road.

"Idiot's going to get himself blown up, if he doesn't move," Neji pointed out idly.

Sasuke was about to agree when as he watched the thermos was put away, and the man leaned back into the buggy only to pull out a rocket launcher that looked as if it weighed more than Sasuke did.

"Holy mother of fu— that's no goddamn tourist!" He growled into the mic as tossed aside his binoculars. "He's not going to complete _my _job."

"Sasuke, just abort, you've got twenty seconds until the convoy comes. Either way the target's going to be terminated."

Now, despite the name change, Sasuke was still an Uchiha. And _no one_ showed up an Uchiha.

"Fucker's going to die."

He grabbed the assault rifle he'd brought with him for backup and trained it on the man's head. "He's on _my _spot."

"Sasuke!" Neji snapped. "Abort the mission. You've only got fifteen seconds."

"I'll get it done," Sasuke replied calmly as he readied to take the shot.

He pulled the trigger, a pleased grin coming to his face only to have it melt away as the man ducked down to grab something. The bullet shot uselessly into the sand, missing the blonde's head by a centimetre.

* * *

><p>Naruto yelped as a bullet whizzed by, barely missing his head. He dove to the ground following the bullet's flight path back to a shack not too far off in the distance.<p>

"Bastard," he growled, forgetting about the convoy and instead taking aim at the small building. He glanced through the sight and grinned as he caught the thermal outline of the shooter.

"You're mine now," he laughed as he pulled the trigger. The guy in the shack stood still for a moment before taking off but only a second later the building was gone, blown into stray pieces of timber and computer components.

Naruto whistled as he looked down at the launcher. "Damn. People shouldn't be allowed to buy these."

The blonde looked back to find the convoy retreating and already almost out of range. He was going to get an earful for this from Tsunade. The sound of a bike caught his attention and he turned to see his would be killer taking off over the nearest dune.

"Huh. The guy's good," he said to himself as he made his way over to where most of the debris had landed. He dusted himself off as he skimmed through the wreckage until he came across a beat up laptop. He plunked his fingers along the keyboard for a moment and smirked when the screen blinked to life. It was on a login page and asking for a password. He experimentally typed in a random word and dropped the laptop quickly as it suddenly sparked and fizzled.

"Crap," he muttered, recognizing the self detonation program that some of his equipment had.

He kicked some sand onto it to cool it off before picking it up again. He might not be able to get anything out of it, but someone back at HQ would probably be able to work wonders. A smile played across his face as he made his way back to his buggy and tossed the laptop into the passenger seat. He might've missed once, but the bastard wouldn't be so lucky the second time around.

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks for reading, and <em>please <em>don't forget to review.**

**ForeverFalling. **


	5. Loose Ends

Sasuke slammed open the glass doors of the office as he stormed in. The flight back home hadn't quelled his anger in the least and instead he'd stewed in first class for the duration of his ten hour travel time snapping at the attendants all the while. He was supposed to be meeting Naruto in less than four hours but the thought of their anniversary dinner had been pushed to the back of his mind and instead the memory of The Encroacher was in the forefront.

The office staff was sent scrambling to get out of his way as he strode over the cool tile floors towards the main project room, some reaching out to take his bags before scurrying off. Neji was waiting for him, the wall to ceiling windows casting an annoying glare on the flat screen monitor he was situated in front.

"Who was that bitch, and what the hell was he doing?" He slammed the door behind him, ignoring how the frosted glass embossed with the Uchiha fan raddled in its frame.

"I'm working on it," the brunette replied as he looked over the satellite imaging.

"I want him _dead_," Sasuke seethed, resisting the urge to kick the nearest recycle bin. He ripped off his pea coat and tossed it onto the leather sofa as he began rolling up the sleeves of his v neck.

"I've got Kabuto's team looking it over as well," Neji continued, his wireless mouse clicking away as the other man paced. "We're trying to biometrically match the image with those in the database but so far we've come up with nothing."

The Uchiha database was extensive and tapped into most government systems in the world. If the tech team had yet to have conclusive results the person was either in none of the databases or the image's quality wasn't high enough to render a proper result.

"We've got to begin to assume that he's simply not in the database," Neji sighed as he ran a hand through his long locks. "If he's from another agency then it wouldn't be all that surprising. They're just as protective of their operatives as we are of ours."

"I want his name," Sasuke said haltingly. "I don't care what it takes."

He made his way over to the computer, watching over his friend's shoulder as he tried to improve the image quality.

"Did you run the dune buggy?"

"Already done," Neji nodded, pale lilac eyes still locked on the screen. "It's unregistered and probably custom judging by the paint job."

Sasuke nodded. "I doubt something as orange as that would be put into production. The only people who'd buy it would be this moron and Naruto."

Neji chuckled before a smug look slid into place and with a few more clicks the image was zoomed in and much clearer than it'd previously been.

"You need to tell your father to either let us hack into the CIA satellites or buy a new one. This thing's a piece of crap."

"I'll be sure to tell him at our next family dinner," the Uchiha grumbled as he leaned in. The image was still grainy but he could make out what the blonde was holding to his lips. It almost looked like...

"Ramen?" Neji voiced the question before he could. "This guy and Naruto must be kindred spirits."

"Neji...how tall would you say that guy is?"

The brunette frowned and looked down to a pad of paper sitting by his left hand. "I ran it earlier. The computer calculation says he's six-two."

"Can you zoom in anymore?" It _couldn't _be. It just wasn't possible.

"Not unless you want pixels again."

Sasuke shoved Neji over a bit and squeezed into the chair beside him. Black eyes bore into the image's cheeks looking for the telltale marks that would prove his theory.

"Fuck." What else was there to say?

"What?" Neji asked, leaning in to stare as well. It took him less than a second to catch onto his friend's line of thought. "Sasuke...it could be anything. It could be _dirt _for God's sake."

"No Neji," Sasuke said as he stood, shaking his head. The orange dune buggy, the ramen, the hair, the _marks. _And suddenly as he stared at the image he knew it couldn't _not _be Naruto. He was amazed that he'd missed it. That was _his _Naruto in the photo. The man had his posture, his body language, and Sasuke bet if he looked close enough he'd even recognize the thermos Naruto always used.

"It's him."

_Naruto_. It was Naruto. The man he'd spent the past six years of his life with had tried to kill him less than fifteen hours ago. Neji caught him by the elbow before he could fall and led him to the sofa. Had it all been...? How could he? Dear God. Holy fu—

"Breathe Sasuke," Neji said as he clapped him on the back. "Breathe damn it!"

And if Naruto lived here, and –obviously-didn't work for Uchiha that meant that he was Leaf. It'd probably all been a set up! Get an agent in with the heir to the American branch of Uchiha and keep tabs on him; kill him when the time was right and cripple the company so that Leaf could come out on top. It was smart. It was _cruel_. And it was exactly the kind of underhanded move that was to be expected from Leaf.

"I'll kill him," Sasuke growled, his ears ringing as rage boiled in his stomach. "He thinks he can make a fool of me? Take advantage of _Uchiha Sasuke_?"

* * *

><p>Fugaku was a strict man; there was no doubt about that. You didn't get to where he had in life by being all smiles and hugs. He believed in rules and order; in discipline, logic and honour. But despite all the hard lines and frowns no one could deny that he <em>loved <em>his children more than life itself. So when his youngest –his _baby boy_- stormed into his office looking angrier and more hurt than the time Itachi had lit his stuffed Totoro on fire when he was four, he was reaching for the gun under his desk before Sasuke could get a word out.

* * *

><p>The laptop was a little on the crispy side but Naruto hoped the techy would be able to get something out of it. He had a little less than four hours until he was supposed to meet Sasuke for dinner so hopefully he'd be able to wrap things up at the office quickly and still have time to get home and shower.<p>

He'd called ahead as soon as he'd landed and requested that one of the tech specialists be waiting for him when he arrived. He briefly waved to Ino who was in her normal place at her desk in the lobby but didn't stop to say hello – he was on a bit of a deadline.

"Aren't you supposed to _be _somewhere right now Naruto?" She called after him angrily.

"I'll be quick, I promise," he yelled back as he took the stairs two at a time. Sasuke would be angry if he missed their date, but Ino? She would be fucking _furious_.

Naruto was surprised to find that it was Shikamaru Nara who was sitting in the lounge waiting for him when he peeked inside. Shikamaru was famously lazy and generally preferred to work via video feed from his apartment in the city.

The air was thick with the smell of cigarettes and trails of white smoke drifted through the open doorway.

"You know, it's illegal to smoke in here."

Nara looked up from where he was laying on the couch. "You going to rat me out?"

"Probably not."

Nara had joined Leaf a year before Naruto had and climbed the ranks despite his lazy attitude and resentment towards any type of work. He was in line to be the next head of the tech department when Asuma stepped down.

Shikamaru took a long drag from his cigarette as he foced himself into a sitting position. "I heard you had something for me to look at?"

The blonde nodded as he held up the laptop watching as the Nara eyed it for a moment before putting out his cigarette in his ashtray and standing. "You sure that thing isn't completely baked through?"

Naruto laughed as he scratched the side of his head nervously. "I was sort of hoping you could tell me that."

Shikamaru took the laptop with a sigh and they both made their way to his office.

"I pressed some buttons and it fried itself."

"Great," the other huffed. "Just great."

Nara's office featured one of the largest windows in the building although more often than not it was swathed in thick curtains to stop the glare on the computer screens from annoying his eyes. Every surface featured some kind of gadgetry, whether it was a holographic projector or an alarm clock situated next to the large couch he'd had moved into the room two days after he'd begun working at Leaf.

The laptop was set down on the nearest desk and Shikamaru got to work, quickly disassembling the casing and revealing the inner workings.

"Yeah, it's burnt to a crisp," the Nara sighed as he spun around in his chair to face Naruto. "But it's clean, no serials or anything. Whoever made this didn't want it to be traceable."

Naruto swore as he slumped down on the couch. "Shit."

"I said they _wanted _it to be untraceable, not that it _was_," Shikamaru grinned as he held up a chip. "It's got an extra RAM module. It's been upgraded."

Naruto stared at him blankly for a moment. "And...that means?"

Nara sighed as he spun back again. "It means give me a minute and I'll have your guy."

A computer blinked to life as Shikamaru went back to work and soon the room was filled with the sound of a mouse clicking away and steady fingers typing along on the keyboard. Considering how late in the evening it was – for Shikamaru at least, it was surprising that he'd been brought in instead of someone else. He was the best, but that didn't mean that someone else from tech couldn't have helped him track the laptop.

"So, why are you here? I figured it'd be Choji or someone else."

Shikamaru let out a small bark of laughter. "Fucking _Tsunade_ called me herself and demanded that I come in."

Naruto let out a whistle of appreciation. Normally Shizune would make contact with agents and if she was swamped than Sakura or even Ino. To have Tsunade call you meant that things were serious. And having a laptop tracked didn't strike Naruto as all that serious.

"She said she didn't want this screwed up. Something about wrapping up loose ends," Shikamaru grumbled, the light of the monitor reflected in his eyes. "Easy enough job though; I've got it."

Naruto jumped to his feet as the other agent read off the info.

"The chip's Chinese, imported by Dynamix in New Jersey, retailed at Micro World. I've pulled up the Micro World invoice from the anti-theft network," Shikamaru droned as he clicked on something and a new screen appeared. "Purchased last year, for eighty-five dollars...and from this we can get the billing address," he grumbled as he pulled up another screen.

"How quickly can you get me the address?" Naruto asked as he checked the time on the bottom right of the screen. If he didn't get going soon he'd be late for dinner- or have to skip his shower. Frankly, he'd rather be a few minutes late than go smelling like sweat and airplane.

"Give me a second and I'll have it."

If the chip was sold in America and it sure as _hell _didn't belong to anyone in Leaf, he'd most likely had a run in with one of the agents from Uchiha. They were a bunch of stuck up, lowdown, sleazy bastards who thought they were the best things since sliced bread. Naruto grinned; he wouldn't mind taking out one of those assholes.

"The card was mailed to a PO box...give me a second and I'll see who the box belongs to."

Naruto didn't want to even try to guess the number of laws Shikamaru had broken in the last few minutes alone.

"Alright, the PO box belongs to an office group at fifty-nine High Street."

High Street was in the core business sector of the city where all the major banks and law firms kept their offices.

"We could just Street View it," Shikamaru suggested as he pulled up another window. Oh the wonders of _Google_.

He typed in the address and soon enough they were looking at an office building...a rather familiar office building. Naruto frowned as he leaned in to get a better look at the screen. "I could _swear _I've been there before. Why would I've been there..."

"Doesn't Sasuke work downtown?" Shikamaru asked as he picked up a water bottle that was sitting near his speakers. "Maybe it's close to where he works?"

And suddenly it clicked. Sasuke. _Sasuke _worked in that building. His husband of five years— it had to be a coincidence. There was no way. It just wasn't possible.

"Naruto, are you alright?" Shikamaru asked, noticing how all the colour had faded from the other agent's face.

It was surely coincidence... But what if it wasn't? What if Sasuke was a plant? Get someone in close to a higher up Leaf agent and gather all the information Uchiha could possibly need. It was _brilliant_. It was the type of manipulative, sneaky move that was to be expected from them. Naruto gripped at his hair as he thought it over. His Sasuke had just tried to kill him. The man who used to cuddle up to him whenever he was cold and scrunch up his nose after Naruto had just kissed it.

Maybe all of the cold behaviour the last three years had been leading up to this. Well...that...that fucking asshole! The blonde growled as he shoved himself to his feet. The goddamn jackass had fucked with his feelings for five whole years! Five years he'd never get back! Five years of thinking he was –more or less- loved only to find out that it was all a sham.

"I'll teach him to mess with me," he snarled as he shoved passed Shikamaru and stormed down the hallway. "No one fucks around with Naruto Uzumaki!"

* * *

><p>I will not cry, Sasuke told himself as he gathered some weapons from his office. He'd been chanting that thought in his head like a mantra ever since he'd finished speaking with his father. The rage he'd felt had fled, only to leave him feeling empty and hollow. He cleaned one of his knives with robotic proficiency before placing it in his bag and grabbing another.<p>

"Sasuke," Neji said frantically, having caught up with him again after he'd finished up with his father. "You can't do this. At least send someone else—

"Neji, you're not doing this for me," the Uchiha sighed, already knowing his friend's train of thought.

"You can't actually mean to kill him yourself, on your anniversary of all days!"

Actually, Sasuke felt that it was sort of poetic if anything. Their marriage would end on the same day it began. You couldn't get much better than that.

"Father said I could do it whenever I wanted as long as I tied up all the loose ends."

Neji's normally pale face had become flushed in his aggravation and when Sasuke thought about it he actually couldn't recall a time when Neji had actually been this flustered.

"Your father is an over protective maniac who would strangle Naruto with his bare hands if he could," the brunette growled, looking even more frustrated. "Just find Naruto and talk to him for God's sake! Figure out what the hell is going on before you start something you can't stop."

The raven finally finished with his last knife and instead picked up his gun. He ran his hand over the barrel before attaching the silencer- he'd hate to have to try and explain the noise to the neighbours otherwise.

"Neji, we haven't _talked_ in years," Sasuke said dispassionately as he loaded the gun. "So why the hell would we start now?"

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks for reading, and <em>please<em> don't forget to review :) **

**ForeverFalling. **


	6. Resolve

Sasuke threw open the closet doors in his office, dark eyes gleaming in the light of the setting sun filtering in through the large windows. He'd checked the time to find that he had about two hours before he was set to meet Naruto at the restaurant. At this point, his husband was most likely aware that he'd caught on to his true identity which meant that if Sasuke were to go home, there was a large chance that he'd open the door to find a gun aimed at his face.

Neutral territory. That was what he needed and his dunce of a soon to be ex-husband had provided him with just that. He rifled through the closet's contents, throwing aside what he deemed unsuitable. He heard a grumble from behind him, where apparently Neji had just gotten a face full of cashmere sweater.

"Just what the hell are you doing?" the Hyuuga asked as he resituated the sweater onto its hanger and set it aside. He'd never seen his friend act this manic before and in light of recent events it was worrying to say the least.

"I'm going to make him pay," Sasuke growled as he continued to fling various articles of clothing aside, his frustration building.

In the restaurant he could trust Naruto not to pull out a gun and kill him point blank but that didn't mean _he_ had the same reservations. His father would take care of any loose ends if need be. It was easy enough to get off on the charges if you had the right connections and it wasn't as if Leaf would want the police department digging into Naruto's past either which meant the investigation would go nowhere fast if it came to that.

"Why don't I make you some green tea," Neji suggested as he ducked to avoid a pair of flying slacks. "Some nice calming tea."

Sasuke cast his friend a dark look before going back to wreaking mayhem in his closet.

"Can I at least give you a hand—

"Found them!" Sasuke said triumphantly as he reached in and pulled out a pair of dark wash jeans that had fallen behind part of the closet organizer.

Neji looked at the jeans, easily recognizing them. "Your ass always looked fantastic in those pants," he noted idly.

Sasuke turned to look at him, a small smirk playing across petal pink lips. "That's the point."

"Oh," the brunette mumbled, nodding to himself. "You're fucking evil."

Sasuke laughed as he tossed the pants onto his desk and began to go about finding a shirt. "I'm Itachi's younger brother; it comes with the territory."

* * *

><p>Naruto's rage had taken him out of the office and into his car before his brain could catch up with him. At this point Sasuke would probably expect him to head home, and he had no doubt he'd open the door to the barrel of a gun directed at his face.<p>

Neutral territory; that's what he needed, and his own stroke of brilliance had provided him with that.

When Sasuke realized that he wasn't going to come home any time soon, he'd come to the restaurant where Naruto would be waiting for him. He wouldn't have time to properly prepare so, when he arrived Naruto would— would _what_ exactly?

The blonde growled as he gripped at his hair, resisting the urge to slam his head against the steering wheel to jar the painful thoughts from his mind. He couldn't hesitate. Not now. Sasuke had always been smart- brilliant really- and to hold his cover for five years meant he was also a damn good agent; one willing to do anything to complete his mission.

Sasuke had always been a tough person with a small undertone of ruthlessness that Naruto had found incredibly sexy in a dark sort of way. He'd probably have no qualms with killing the man he'd lived with for half a decade- shared a bed with- never mind the dozens of other people populating the restaurant. So why was he hesitating? Sasuke-if that was even his real name-sure as hell wouldn't.

"Get it together," he said as he wiped a hand across his forehead, cleaning away the sweat that had gathered there.

Sharp nails dug into his scalp as Naruto tried to muster up the anger that had burned its way through his veins only moments before. This was the bastard who'd led him on for five years- the one who'd taken advantage of him and pretended to love him! This was- this was _Sasuke: _the man that he'd loved despite their issues. No matter how they'd ignored one another or fought he'd always loved him with all his heart- a love so fierce that even now he could feel it boiling just beneath the surface, creeping up to temper the rage that he knew he should be feeling. Could he really kill Sasuke?_ His_ Sasuke? But then again, he thought as he reached to turn the key in the ignition.

Sasuke had never really been his, now had he?

* * *

><p>It was a nice enough restaurant- not too fancy. Naruto hated anything too fancy; he said it gave him indigestion which made no fucking sense seeing as if anything that ramen he was—<p>

Sasuke took a deep breath to calm himself as he waited for the waitress to find the reservation. It was no wonder that she was taking forever given how her focus kept straying to him, eyeing his body in a way that would have made another person blush. _Shameless_. He held up his hand and she winced slightly at the sight of the ring that adorned his finger.

Oh yes, he was spoken for, but it was now a question of for how long.

Once Miss. Shameless decided that her eyes would serve her better when they were actually looking at the computer screen she found the reservation quickly enough and he was escorted by another man to a table near the dance floor. Jazz music was filtering through the speakers, the drone of clacking cutlery and idle chatter accompanying it. He sat down, a server rushing over to fill his class with ice water. Pale hands were tempted to worry the white cloth that covered the table but instead Sasuke checked the time on his phone before taking a sip of his water.

He noticed that Neji had texted him several times and Itachi had called him six times already. It seemed his father had made a call since he'd left him in his office. Itachi had never really liked Naruto; not that they'd ever officially met. He'd said that he wasn't good enough for Sasuke and wasn't worth him moving across the world for. Itachi had always been a bit overprotective which hadn't exactly improved Sasuke's opinion of him during their childhood. He'd been the type of older brother who still made Sasuke hold his hand when crossing the street when he'd been _eleven_.

Their mother had thought it was cute.

It'd been a damn miracle when Itachi had actually consented to him moving to America. Apparently his older brother had thought it was time for him to branch out. Sasuke, being twenty-one at the time, had jumped on the soonest flight out of Japan before Itachi could find out exactly _why _he was moving. Once he had...well, Sasuke had been half way across the world and even then he hadn't been safe because Itachi had speedily followed after him. It'd taken their father stepping to finally quell Itachi's rage and stop him from axe-murdering the man who had 'tainted his precious otouto'. In the end, he'd grudgingly _permitted_ Sasuke to stay in America and had since found the separation both taxing and relaxing all at once.

Needless to say, he'd probably have some strong ideas as to what Naruto's fate should be. Sasuke cleared the alerts knowing that he'd have to deal with his brother later. He was twenty-seven for God's sake! He didn't need to go crying to his 'ni-san' like he had when he was small- he was old enough to solve his problems on his own. And that was exactly what he'd do.

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><p>He'd pulled the clothes he was wearing from his store of outfits that he kept in the trunk of his car for missions. The restaurant was nice- but not <em>too <em>nice. Sasuke was fine with first class dining but all of the uppity people and snobby waiters stressed Naruto out so much he got indigestion. So the place was nice enough that it had a good dance floor and attracted quite a lot of couples looking for a night on the town, but it wasn't so nice that Naruto would need a suit. The blonde had settled one wearing a nice pair of slacks and a v-neck sweater Sakura had gotten him for his birthday a few years back. It was _just_ loose enough that he could hide the gun he had strapped to the small of his back.

At the moment he was sitting in the parking lot trying to work up the balls to go in. He'd spotted Sasuke's BMW while looking for a space so he knew his husband must have had the same idea about the restaurant as he had- and unfortunately beat him there.

Naruto took a deep breath knowing it was now or never. He didn't really have much of a choice in the matter— or maybe he did. What was to stop him from just walking away? Why couldn't he just pack up and leave? He could always have a third party collect his things and handle all the financials...But Sasuke knew who he was. Knew intimate details about him that he could be used against him. Naruto slammed back against the headrest as he ripped his key from the ignition.

No loose ends; that was the first rule in this business. He'd always cleaned up after himself and he wasn't about to stop now. It would undoubtedly come back to bite him in the ass.

Naruto climbed out of the Challenger and made his way into the restaurant. The women behind the podium looked up as she heard the door but he waved her off and walked straight into the seating area.

Sasuke was a vision in black, already seated and sipping idly at his water as he checked the time on his phone. Naruto's mind couldn't help but jump back to the days when they used to sit for hours at any given restaurant talking about their days, their thoughts...anything really. When he'd been assigned that mission he'd never expected to meet the love of his life on that rainy day in Japan. He could still remember when he'd first set eyes on Sasuke- he'd been a vision in black then too. Theirs had been a whirlwind romance. Jiriaya had thought he was nuts when Naruto had called to tell him that he'd be bringing his fiancé home with him from his mission.

A month. That's all it'd taken for to him to know that Sasuke was the one for him. Or maybe he'd known that first moment that he'd spotted him in that hotel lobby; with his dark ruffled hair and his equally dark eyes. The day after their first encounter he'd cornered the raven at the bar while he was eating lunch. They'd gone out on their first date that night. And had their first kiss the night after that. Naruto still remembered the feeling of those soft lips against his for the first time. How Sasuke's eyes had slipped closed and his slender hands had clutched at the back of Naruto's jacket.

And he'd known- known that there was something special about Sasuke. It only took one meeting for Jiriaya to see that too- and suddenly he didn't think Naruto was all that crazy anymore. But now, that was all over wasn't it? Maybe Jiriaya had been right in the first place— maybe he really had been out of his mind.

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><p><strong>Thanks for reading, and please don't forget to review : ) <strong>

**PS. I was thinking I'd like to do another movie NaruSasu style once this is done and I was wondering if any of you would have any requests.**

**ForeverFalling. **


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